In the arena of feature film, television, and commercial production/post-production, film has been the traditional form of media in which this type of content is shot. After being shot, the content is typically edited in post-production. Before film can be edited digitally, the film is first transferred to videotape (or directly to a digital format) in a process known as telecine. The telecine process has been used for a significant period of time, since film is viewed more often as video than as projected in a theater. Even currently, while video technology is so widely available, the vast majority of television programming that is not live is actually recorded originally on film and then transferred to video by telecine equipment.
The telecine process is the first step in post-production. Notably, an original camera negative has coding written on the edge of the film when the film is manufactured. These edge numbers are used to uniquely identify each frame of film. This information is referred to as meta-data. Videotape has time code that serves the same purpose of uniquely identifying each frame of video on a tape. When film is transferred to video, a relationship is established between the edge code of the film and the time code of the video.
Telecine equipment is computer controlled. The correlation between film edge codes and video time codes is stored in the computer database during the telecine process. At the end of a telecine session, this information is made available to other computers for use in further activities such as digitizing video and creating cut lists for conforming the film negative.
A standard method for communicating this information from the telecine equipment to other computers is through a text file called a Flex file, which is a telecine log file. At the end of the session, the telecine computer writes the database information to a telecine log file (e.g., a Flex file). Often this telecine log file is copied to a transportable memory storage device and delivered to the respective client. In addition to the edge code-time code relationship, a telecine log file may also contain other information such as the “slate” (i.e., the scene numbers, take numbers, and letters, which are assigned during production to identify each shot) and the sound time code. A telecine log file may also contain notes and comments entered by the operator during the telecine session.
The three most popular formats of telecine log files, in no particular order, are “FLX” files from TLC, “FTL” files from Evertz, and “ATN” files from Aaton. Referring to a Flex file, FLX (Film Log EDL Exchange) Protocol is intended to permit the automated communication of information between the telecine bay and “off- and on-line” editing systems. As discussed above, this information consists of a database relating all original film reel, positional, and KEYKODE™ data of transferred “elements” (scenes and takes) to the corresponding destination videotape reel and time code. The recorded tapes created during the telecine process become playback tapes during the video off-line process, during which a conventional EDL (edit decision list) is created that represents (via videotape reel designations and time codes) finished content. Additionally, “trace” software can then examine each edit decision in the EDL, find the corresponding film material in the FLX database, and produce a film conform list (“negative cutters list”) as output. FLX also supports list-driven, field-accurate, and varispeed automated editing in the telecine bay. Further, it can be used to facilitate conforming film material for release in multiple video standards or to generate multiple tape masters in various formats simultaneously.
Another popular format of A/V (Audio/Video) log file is the Avid Log Exchange file (“ALE”) from Avid. An ALE file is a more generic A/V log file and not strictly speaking a telecine log file, but an ALE file can contain the same kinds of information. AvidLogExchange is the application that converts film to tape transfer logs as well as 24P down conversions. The ALE format is the format of the ASCII (text file) that can be imported into Avid editing systems.
Thus, when the filming process begins, meta-data is captured electronically on the set as the film is being shot. After the film is shot, it is taken to a processing facility (lab), which makes a telecine transfer from the film footage into video footage. The video output of the telecine transfer can be to video tape (VCR), and/or a digital format (DVD and/or a digital file). Usually, a master is made directly from the telecine, and then several duplicates are made from there, typically of a lower resolution. These typically include VCR, DVD, and an AV log file (e.g., FLX file or ALE file), which contains the meta-data that was captured on the set. Specifically, the output from the telecine includes a high bit-rate file (media file), a low bit-rate file (media file), and the FLX file (text file).
At this stage of the post-production process there is a need for a fast and efficient system and method for delivering this daily media content to various personnel involved with the project. Traditionally, videotapes and/or DVDs of this media content (which is produced daily, and thus, often referred to as “Dailies”) are couriered to these personnel. This is a costly process that can also be very slow depending on the distances over which the media content must be transferred. Furthermore, each person receiving the media content was typically isolated from the other personnel, making any type of joint interactive efforts very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a system and method for delivering daily media content to various personnel in disparate locations. Further, there is a continuing need for enabling these personnel to jointly interact regarding this media content. Accordingly, those skilled in the art have long recognized the need for a delivery and display system that addresses these issues. This invention clearly fulfills these and other needs.